1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates and pertains to cleaning and waste management systems particularly systems for operating at high speed, with high efficiency and with minimum use of liquid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The demand for high efficiency, high speed cleaning and waste management systems has grown rapidly with the burgeoning of numerous fields technology. For example, in military applications rapid and efficient cleaning of weapons is often crucial. With respect to such applications as circuit boards, in regard to manufacturing and maintenance of such devices efficient and rapid cleaning is of substantial significance.
In addition, environmental requirements have been applied to cleaning operations and apparatus at all levels, for the purpose of not only eliminating contaminants from the environment but preventing contaminants from entering the environment as a result of cleaning operations of various objects. Awareness has grown that much of the problem of the bulk of residue/contaminants resulting from cleaning is attributable to the moisture/liquid employed in the cleaning process, the residue comprising contaminants and debris in solution and/or suspension. Attempts to address this problem by the use of solvents which vaporize to leave a compact residue have been largely unsuccessful due to certain undesirable properties (such as inflammability and toxicity) of such solvents.
The Mini-Max Cleaner.RTM. embodying the inventions of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,414,037 and 5,471,556, invented by the inventor hereof, has proved to be reliable and effective in terms of rapid and efficient cleaning with minimal moisture/liquid content. The Mini-Max Cleaner.RTM., which directs jets of super heated vapor (such as steam) of minimal moisture content to devices to be cleaned, causes bursts of debris to issue from the device to be cleaned, in connection with the cleaning process.
Accordingly, in view of recently environmental requirements, there has been a felt but thus far unfulfilled need for a rapid and efficient cleaning and waste management system with the capability of minimizing expulsion to the environment of contaminants cleaned from various objects that are cleared thereby.